Black History Month: Montclair Show To Benefit Friends Of Howe House

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of Montclair Early Music. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Montclair Early Music (MEM), a nonprofit organization that brings history to life through music for people of all ages and abilities, announced today its special musical celebration of Black History Month, “Jubilee 2024,” which will take place on Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, 67 Church Street, Montclair. Performed by an intergenerational ensemble of musicians, the concert will showcase the rich history of spiritual, folk, and jazz music from Black composers.

From the joyous rhythms of Africa to the smooth melodies of modern jazz, Jubilee 2024 will provide a unique and soulful experience featuring jazz pianist Michael David Cochrane, bass player Michael Logan, tenor soloist Jeremy Watson, and soprano soloist Louisa Valentín, who is also Montclair Early Music’s newly appointed artistic director.

“Montclair Early Music is proud to celebrate Black History Month by presenting this fun and uplifting concert that honors the seminal and ongoing contributions of African American composers across several major genres of music and rooted in the lived experiences of Black people here and across the Atlantic through the centuries,” said Valentín.

Proceeds from the concert will benefit Friends of the Howe House, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the historic house of James Howe. Formerly enslaved, Howe was freed in 1817, and his Montclair house is one of the oldest standing structures owned by an African American person. The Howe House tells a powerful story of freedom, slavery, homeownership, and the development of African American communities in the United States.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.montclairearlymusic.org.

Montclair Early Music’s “Jubilee 2024” is made possible, in part, by funds from the Essex County Division of Cultural Affairs, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

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